Senate confirms Mary Jo White as SEC Chairman

Yesterday the Senate unanimously confirmed current Biglaw partner and former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The confirmation comes a little more than two months after President Obama announced that he would nominate her to the position.

White currently is a partner and chair of the litigation group at Debevoise & Plimpton. Previously, she was a U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for 14 years. In that position, she took a tough stance against terrorists and mobsters. She will be the first former U.S. attorney to head the SEC.

“The SEC needs a strong leader in place as it works to implement Wall Street Reform, and that is exactly what the commission is getting with Mary Jo White,” Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson said in a statement.

White will assume her new position as the SEC continues to finalize rules required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

White’s confirmation allows her to complete the remainder of former SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro’s term, which expires in June 2014. White could begin working in her new position as soon as today.